Category Archives: Buddhism
Something More: No. 6 Relationships, Inoffensive Saint Young Men, and More Religion Data Girl
Medieval Otaku discusses homosexuality in terms of nature v. nurture as he investigates No. 6. [Medieval Otaku]
Guardian Enzo analyzes Shinto and Shugendou elements of RDG: Red Data Girl in his review of episode 2 of the series. [Lost in America]
D.M. Dutcher uses an example from Little Busters in his plea for mention of the sacred in media as something good and normal. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Mr. A finds the Saint Young Men OVA to be humorous and inoffensive. [Deremoe]
Something More: Shinto Shinkai, Moe Jesus, and Religion Data Girl
TheSubtleDoctor believes Makoto Shinkai is offering some criticism of certain aspects of eastern religion in his film, Children Who Chase Lost Voices. [rayout]
Vivi really enjoyed the Saint Young Men OVA, though offering the manga as even better. [Sekijitsu]
D.M. Dutcher offers recommendations to Christians in his dissection of the “community over individual” theme in Onani Master Kurosawa and Koe no Katachi. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
In his first impressions of RDG: Red Data Girl, Guardian Enzo gives some context about the Shugendou religion, which plays a role in the series. [Lost in America]
Guardian Enzo also talks a bit of religion in his review of episode 21 of Psycho Pass as he wonders how the series will end. [Lost in America]
Stilts introduces the idea of free market Christianity in his article on episode 10 of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha. [Random Curiosity]
Finally, if there are by chance any New Yorkers who frequent our blog, you might consider attending a discussion about religion in anime hosted by Baruch College’s anime club. [Baruch College]
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As part of the Something More series of posts, each week Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included.
Untangled: What Religion Does Cowboy Bebop Convey?
Perhaps the most important aspect of this blog is connecting with you. And as such, we encourage you to send us questions and comments through the “Ask the Staff” tab along the site menu. One such response we received was the following, from reader Res:
So, I’m a huge Cowboy Bebop fan. So, my curiosity is what religion does the show represent. You can interpret that as what religions do the characters practice or what religion does the show convey?
Thanks for the question, Res!
When I first read the question, my answer was immediate: the people of Cowboy Bebop probably practice the same religions that we practice today. The show occurs in 2071, a mere 73 years after the series first aired. So, it’s like asking, “Were there Christians way back in 1941?”
Of course, the answer, and Res’ suggestions of how to answer it, are more complicated than that.
Art by 半三行
Religion in Cowboy Bebop
We never learn the specific religions (if any) of the show’s main characters. However, religion does find its way into the plot, if minimally. If you connect geomancy to religion, “Boogie Woogie Feng Shui” might count. But certainly more significant is episode 23, “Brain Scratch.” The group seeks a bounty on a cult leader (Londes) meant to resemble Marshall Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate (though Simon Abrams rather finds a connection to a group more familiar to Japanese audiences – Aum Shinrikyo). Ghostlighning explains Londes’ philosophy: Read the rest of this entry
Something More: Jesus and Buddha Talk Evangelion, Buddhism in Paprika, and Haibane Renmei’s Purgatory
I took a break last week from Something More, so today’s links are for articles posted over the last fortnight. Enjoy!
Nami gives her thoughts on Trigun, including how Vash and Wolfwood’s beliefs mirror or disagree with her own Christian ones. [BookLoversUnite]
Rocklobster gives Haibane Renmei a 10/10 and in his review, mentions the possible Christian allusions in the series. [Lobster Quadrille]
In his Secret Santa post, dliessmgg closes by mentioning the possible Buddhist ideas underlying Paprika. [Inflating the Tokidoki Balloon]
Hervé St-Louis gives an unfavorable review of the Happy Science anime film, The Mystical Laws. [ComicBookBin]
Teaser trailers for the Saint Young Men film are up and apparently satire Evangelion (someone fill me in?). [Anime News Network]
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As part of the Something More series of posts, each week Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included.
Top Blog Posts About Anime and Religion in 2012: #11-20
Last year, I gave my 12 favorite posts about anime and religion to end the year. And though I had to leave out a number of great article to fit within that number, I was generally happy with the list. This year, I just had to expand my list to twenty to match the volume of great content being written by anibloggers.
Art by けむけむ
Yesterday, I gave numbers 1-10; here are the remaining ten, in chronological order:
11. Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Christianity in Anime
5.6.2012
written by Lady Saika of Lady Geek Girl and Friends
A particularly strange case is that of Saiyuki – the story is based on a a founding myth of Mahayana Buddhism, for cripe’s sake, and the main character is a Buddhist priest, but in the anime at least, we see statues of the Virgin Mary protecting a town from demons in a way that nothing Buddhist can.
Read also: Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Let’s Make a Deal and Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: An Examination of Clergy in Anime
Top Blog Posts About Anime and Religion in 2012: #1-10
The end of the year means retrospection and of course, “best of” lists. During my time in the aniblogosphere, I’ve been blessed to read hundreds and hundreds of wonderful posts, and though I don’t visit aniblog sites as much now as I did in the past, I still read articles related to anime and religion each week. We present them on Fridays as part of the now-named Something More series.
Though I have a great collection of co-bloggers, I’ll leave staff-written post out the following list. Instead, the list below is of articles written by other anibloggers involving anime/manga and religion/spirituality. Numbers one through six are listed in chronological order (seven through twelve to follow tomorrow):
1. We are the pirates who don’t buy anything
1.5.2012
written by Tommy of Anime Bowl
In summary, I think that the small percentage of Christians who are anime fans and the large percentage of fansubbers who steal anime are two numbers that go hand-in-hand. Sure, there are Christians who watch fansubs, I know that I did for an arc of Bleach before giving up the crime for good. But I don’t think these statistics are any coincidence; instead, I think it’s something to ponder.
Read also: A Culture of Hate
The 5th Day of Christmas Anime: Lucky Star
Lucky Star
Episode 11: “Various Ways to Spend Christmas Eve”
In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to retry an anime that I dropped over a year ago, Lucky Star. Last time I tried to watch the series, I made it to only episode 4. For this project, I watched episode 11 which takes place on Christmas Eve. The biggest things to stand out in the episode were related to the Japanese understanding of Christianity and Christmas.
Art by CORE
One of the characters in the series stated that she wasn’t sure if it was okay for her sister, who was a shrine maiden, to wear a wedding dress for her wedding. This whole idea comes from a difference of understanding in Judeo-Christian and Japanese Religions. In Christianity, the main part of the belief system is this concept of faith. For example, the concept of grace through faith or that Abraham’s faith is credited to him as righteousness. For people of the English language, we can even refer to religions as faiths or beliefs.
In Japanese, the religions of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism are based upon action and tradition, such as going to temple festivals, praying to kami at shrines, or even dedicating children at temples. Read the rest of this entry
Something More: Naming Shuu, Sin in Shinsekai Yori, and Reviewing Yokai Attack!
Nick Calibey examines the sometimes biblical meanings of names, including Shuu’s from Guilty Crown. [A Rather Silly Blog]
Ty-chama analyzes episode 10 of Shinsekai Yori and touches on her personal faith, as well how the episode emphasizes the idea of a sinful nature. [Watashi wa Bucho!!]
Annoying Dragon reviews Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt’s Yokai Attack! [Living. Loving. Learning]
Doug is excited for the Saint Young Men movie. [Japan and Korea: Life, Language and Religion]
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As part of the Something More series of posts (formerly Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere), each week, Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included.
